Paradise Kingdom
by Chibizoo
Summary: To be a leader, one must have respect, justice, and loyalty among his followers. When Pharaoh Yami rescues the child-slave Yuugi, he had no clue how much of that he was putting at risk. (YxY) *End Notes added*
1. Default Chapter

Author's notes:   
  
Disclaimer: Zoo-chan does not own Yu-gi-oh!  
  
WARNING: As you can see, this is a R-rated fic. This means several things, namely   
swearing, rape, and mild yaoi. Oh, and a boring, slightly-fluffy plot line to   
discourage younger audiences XD.  
  
This two-part story takes place in Ancient Egypt, and I apologize ahead of time for   
making 'High Priest' Seto the antagonist, but no story is complete without one!  
  
And a domo arigatou to Petite-Hikari-san for taking the time to beta this ^-^!  
  
***************************************   
"My name is Ozymanias, king of kings:  
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!…"   
- "Ozymandias", Percy Bysshe Shelley   
************************************   
  
Paradise Kingdom   
  
  
  
Part 1 – Phantasm  
  
The door opened with a loud bang. He stood there enveloped by a thick hooded cloak,   
a solitary figure looming in the doorway. The figure half-closed the wooden door   
behind him before pulling off his hood, revealing a handsome face trimmed with   
brown hair.   
  
"Hey! It's Priest Seto!"   
  
A several pairs of eyes looked up from their mugs at the newly arrived figure. There   
was a thunderous chorus of greetings before the noise level dropped back to a   
murmur.   
  
Priest Seto's eyes flicked from one person to the next, sapphire orbs flashing in   
disdain. A sneer danced on the High Priest's lips but he maintained a calm, friendly   
façade.   
  
At last, one of the men stood up from his dirty wooden table, wiping the last drops of   
fermented wine from his stubby whiskers. He stumbled drunkenly, staggering and   
pushing several chairs from his path before facing the High Priest's taller figure.   
  
"What brings you here, oh Honourable Priest?" The foul-looking man gave a sudden   
belch, though his eyes glittered shrewdly from under the shadows of his brows. "Are   
you looking for some service from us humble folks?"   
  
"Well, as you know, the new Pharaoh and I are not on good terms." Several audible   
sniggers followed Priest's Seto's comment. The High Priest glared at the auspicious   
voices before continuing. "I was hoping that you could…be of some assistance. I   
need you to spread some gossip and rebellion among your people. Something that will   
make the citizens doubt the Pharaoh's competence."   
  
"I see." The man being addressed smiled coyly. "So that the citizens will fall in   
favour with you and allow you to extract some revenge on the Pharaoh? Am I not   
correct in thinking so?"   
  
Priest Seto said nothing, though his false smile gave the truth away. "Think what you   
want to, Khaske, but just make sure you carry things out. I want the Pharaoh to suffer,   
to feel the wrath of his position like a mosquito drinking from dried carrion."   
  
The other snickered, rubbing his round stomach. "Oh, don't worry, we'll keep our end   
of the bargain." He stopped, cocking his head to one side. "That is, if you keep   
yours."   
  
The priest cast a diffident expression, delving a hand within the folds of his thick   
cloak to extract a bulky bag. He unwrapped the corded rope fastening the bag to   
reveal thick disks of pure gold, glittering like the mid-day sun upon the sapphire Nile   
even under the half-dimmed light. Khaske greedily snatched the offered bag, passing   
it to others who had come to listen out of interest.   
  
Khaske bowed smartly. "Consider it done, my Priest."   
  
It seemed as if the High Priest was done speaking, but Seto gestured for the other to   
stay. His eyes glittered for a second as he stuck his hands into the folds of his cloak   
once more. "Oh, before we part, I have another gift for you."   
  
The word 'gift' immediately piqued Khaske's interest. He turned his greedy face   
towards the High Priest in curiousity.   
  
This time, instead of drawing something out from the folds of his large cloak, Priest   
Seto beckoned to the door. Several of the men gasped in shock and fear, and even   
Khaske's shrewd eyes held a strange look.   
  
For half-hidden under the door's shadow was a boy no older than twelve.  
  
There was nothing special about boys; everyone in the room had been a boy once.   
What had startled them was the boy's appearance. Jagged black hair ending in red   
highlights. Luminescent golden bangs framed around the childish face. Soft amethyst   
eyes glistened with both fear and apprehension, hands clinging tightly to rough   
wooden door.  
  
The High Priest barely batted an eye at the startled expressions of the commonfolk   
gathered within this tavern, drawing the small boy out from his hiding place with a   
single pull of his hand. The boy stumbled forwards, falling pitifully onto his knees,   
eyes focused on the ground.   
  
"I found this slave boy at the local market," Seto commented in a diffident and   
neutral manner. "His resemblance to the Pharaoh was quite startling."   
  
Khaske burst out laughing, a full throaty roar; stirring a few confused and clueless   
expressions from the others. "So," Khaske took a few breaths, still chuckling, "this is   
your bonus for us. A Pharaoh look-alike, in the form of a slave. You certainly play   
your ironies well."   
  
Priest Seto stared contemptuously at the slave boy, a small, whimpering child with no   
clue of his future. That is, whatever remained of the boy's future. "Do what you wish   
with the boy. The former owner informed me that he is fourteen and still untouched."   
  
Khaske gave a hiss of appreciation, a large smile lighting up his chubby face. His   
beady eyes glittered in anticipation. "Yes, I'll have fun playing with this child-  
Pharaoh. I'll 'educate' him nice and good." Some of the others snickered and clapped   
heartily at that remark, beginning to bet and argue among themselves for their order   
of turns.   
  
A pity that this slave wasn't the Pharaoh himself. Then again, Seto wanted to be the   
one who made Pharaoh Yami suffer. He wanted to personally see the Pharaoh reduced   
to a pitiful weeping wrench, just like this slave-boy was doomed to become. The High   
Priest gave Khaske a final parting nod before leaving the crowded tavern without a   
word. He could hear roars and shouts from inside. A smile played on his lips before   
he lifted his hood over his head and disappeared into the darkness  
  
*************************************   
  
He pulled away from the other with will-power that startled even himself. With quick   
noisy, gasps, he sat straight up on the bed, brushing one hand over his head in an   
attempt to smoothen his mussed-up hair.   
  
"Something wrong, Yami?"   
  
The Pharaoh's head pivoted at the slurred words to face his lover. The other was   
undoubtedly beautiful, eyes a brilliant chocolate brown, hair gold enough to rival Ra's   
light. For a moment, the Pharaoh, Yami, simply stared at the other's peaceful form,   
watching the blonde's bare sweat-covered chest rise up and down in vast heaves.   
  
The other propelled himself up so that he sat beside Yami, one hand running gently   
along the Pharaoh's back. "You look distracted," the blonde murmured, chuckling as   
Yami arched his back in response to the touch.   
  
"Jounochi-" Yami breathed in, enjoying the sensual feeling of the other's calloused   
fingers along his skin, "I-" He stopped, breaking out from his blissful reverie. "I need   
to tell you something."   
  
"Hmmm?" The blonde seemed more interested in drawing circles on the Pharaoh's   
back.   
  
Yami momentarily softened under the touch before his mind jerked his body back to   
the situation at hand. "I- I don't think this can continue much longer."   
  
Jounochi suddenly stopped. His expression changed from sedated smile to a look of   
absolute confusion. There was a moment's lull before the blonde's mind began   
working clearly. "I get it." This time, there was an evident hint of anger in Jounochi's   
voice. "I'm not good enough for the _Pharaoh_."   
  
Yami gave a mental sigh. Jounochi was sometimes too stubborn for his own good.   
"It's not like that!" the Pharaoh immediately argued. He was just as bitter over his   
father's untimely death as Jounochi, mainly because of his sudden time-wasting   
demands as the new Pharaoh. Yami bit his lip in apprehension. Jounochi and he had   
been partners before the entire kingdom had been dumped on his hands – this really   
wasn't fair for the blonde. "Look at me. I'm supposed to marry sometime this year   
and have plenty of children to spread my lineage. If anyone ever discovered our   
relationship-"   
  
Jounochi pressed a finger against Yami's lips. "If. The keyword is 'if'."   
  
Sighing, Yami fell backwards onto his bed, jagged tri-coloured hair splaying out to   
curl around his face. "It doesn't work that way." He bit his lip, debating over his   
words before finally blurting the truth out. "I think Priest Seto knows already."   
  
The blonde's expression immediately went from confusion to shock to complete   
unadulterated anger. "That bastard!" the blonde hissed, angrily slamming his fists   
against the soft matting. "That arrogant, two-timing snake! He thinks he owns the entire-"  
  
Yami shook his head curtly, gesturing for the other to be quiet. "Not so loud,   
Jounochi," the Pharaoh warned. "The High Priest has many loyal followers. I   
wouldn't be surprised if even my personal chambers suddenly developed ears and   
betrayed me."   
  
"But-" Jounochi spluttered, struggling for words. His eyes flashed in indignation.   
"That's just unfair! It's not right!"   
  
The Pharaoh looked away from the blonde. He spent a while staring outside the   
spacious window at the moonlit sky. "Jounochi, few things in life are fair."   
  
"Then make me your slave!" The blonde seemed almost desperate now, unwilling to   
break such a valuable relationship. "I-I'll forfeit my status and then no one can break   
us apart. I mean, even Seto has personal pleasure slaves."   
  
Yami shook his head. "Don't you understand? I couldn't do that to you. You'd lose   
everything. And before you say you don't care, even if you became my slave, I'd still   
have to get married. It's easier this way because I don't want either of us to get hurt."   
  
The blonde whirled around in enraged frenzy, clasping his hands on Yami's   
shoulders. He stared at the Pharaoh face to face. For a moment, Jounochi said nothing,   
simply gazing into Yami's ruby-red eyes. His breath came in trembling,   
uncontrollable gasps.   
  
At last, Yami broke the uncomfortable silence. "Jounochi. Just let me go. Please."   
  
Pharaohs were supposed to be the source of ultimate power, a god in the guise of a   
man descended from the heavens to create peace and harmony. Yet, just sitting there,   
gazing into Yami's crimson eyes, Jounochi caught a glimpse of the true, wearied soul   
hiding underneath the Pharaoh's placid mask.   
  
Wordlessly, Pharaoh Yami stood up, slipping into his elegant loincloth and rubbing   
the dark kohl back onto his eyes. He quietly walked past Jounochi's still, silent form,   
closing the door behind him.   
  
Jounochi was alone in the room now.  
  
***************************************  
  
It hurt.   
  
Every muscle within his body was on fire; places he didn't even know could hurt   
burned and stung in absolute torment. It was amazing how fast a soul, untaught of   
modesty or humility, could be so utterly violated.   
  
All around him, the chorus of laughter continued, louder than ever. There were hands   
on his back, along his neck, covering his mouth, never stopping their assault. Yet,   
most of all were the hands around his legs, prying them apart with drunken rashness,   
tearing at the exposed flesh underneath in livid pleasure.   
  
A strand of rope had been brutally tied between the boy's legs, travelling up his back   
and around his neck, end hanging like a demented leash. He grunted, sweat dripping   
from his pained face as the fingers continued to prod and shove forcefully, tying and   
retying the rope into several tighter knots.   
  
"Whip the bitch! Whip 'im good!"   
  
Several of them had gotten hold of the rope's end, flaying the boy's prone skin with   
the loose cord. Another had taken the remnants of the slave-boy's clothing and tied a   
crude collar around his fragile neck.   
  
"Harder! Whip him harder!"   
  
The stings came faster now, pelting him until all he could feel were invisible daggers   
sticking into his flesh, accumulating with each blow in one swollen mass. The tears   
continued to come, soaking his face in the salty, sticky liquid and causing him to   
choke several times. The boy closed his eyes, wishing feverishly for the pain to stop.   
He could feel them tugging at his unusual crown of jagged red-black hair, tearing   
apart the hair and leaving sizeable chunks of raw red flesh on his scalp.   
  
The words had become an indiscernible roar but he no longer cared. The boy's once-  
bright eyes turned glassy, a pained expression etched on his face before he faded into   
unconsciousness.   
  
Blissful, peaceful, painless unconsciousness.   
  
*******************************************   
  
Jounochi shifted helplessly as he watched the Pharaoh's expression dissolve from   
regal confidence to absolute frustration. It was evening now and finally, the hoards of   
unsatisfied and angry commoners and nobles had left.   
  
"I don't get it." Yami sank to the ground, fists clenched in absolute frustration. "What   
did I ever do to make them hate me so much? It's like they expect me to be a god or   
something."   
  
"That's because you are a god."   
  
Both Jounochi and Yami jerked their heads up as a third figure emerged from behind   
one of the many chamber-hall pillars.   
  
"What do you want, Priest?" Jounochi assumed a protective stance in front of the   
Pharaoh, eyes narrowed in loathing. "Typical of you, to slink around in the shadows   
like that."   
  
"Don't worry." The High Priest smiled, not too nicely. "I would never think of   
sinking to your level, Jounochi, commander of the High Guards." Seto's voice   
dripped with contempt. "But then again, I don't need the Pharaoh's pity."   
  
Jounochi roared in fury, making a frenzied charge at the Priest. His hands grappled   
thin air, and he leapt for Seto's moving figure again.   
  
"Enough, Jounochi." Yami had finally surfaced from the pool of his doubt. The   
Pharaoh stood up from the ground, forcing himself into a regal, confident stance.   
"What is it that you request of me, High Priest Seto?" The Pharaoh stated the words   
with equal dislike.   
  
Seto gave a mock, bow, smiling triumphantly at Jounochi's bristling form. "Oh,   
nothing, _Pharaoh_. I just dropped by to see how you're doing. It seems to me like   
you have too much on your hands. Would be a pity if you dropped them all, don't you   
think?"   
  
Yami remained stoic. "I would think that you, being the High Priest, would have more   
faith in your Pharaoh."   
  
"Hmmm, maybe." Seto looked genuinely amused. "It depends on how well the   
Pharaoh conducts himself. After all, a Pharaoh's duty comes before anything else,   
_especially_ personal affairs." The High Priest cast another contemptuous look at the   
blonde.   
  
"Jounochi!" Yami warned as the High Guard gathered himself for another assault.   
The Pharaoh gave a stiff, formal nod to dismiss the priest. "I shall remain loyal to my   
citizens and to my duty as Pharaoh. Do not waste effort worrying about me, High   
Priest, when you have more important matters to take care of."   
  
Seto's face flushed. He angrily collected his cloak before striding away, Millennium   
Rod in one hand.   
  
Jounochi waited until the High Priest was clearly out of sight before sticking out his   
tongue impudently. "Bah! Priests! Who needs them?!"   
  
However, Yami's eyes were clouded in thought and doubt. "Maybe Seto is right." The   
Pharaoh's eyes remained fixed on the door the priest had used to make his exit.   
"Maybe I should focus more on my duties."   
  
"Come off it already!" Jounochi was not easily deterred. "This _is_ Seto, your long-  
time rival, we are talking about."   
  
"Yes," Yami agreed slowly, digesting each word, "but Seto is the High Priest. And   
High Priests have a lot of power."   
  
********************************************   
  
"You're sure about this?"   
  
Yami rubbed his forehead with an open palm. Even Jounochi thought his plan would   
backfire; which didn't help to boost his confidence. "I have to, Jounochi. I want to   
know what the commoners think of me and more importantly, why. What I want to do   
is figure out the source of this anger."   
  
Jounochi rolled his eyes. "You don't have to go anywhere for that. I can tell you right   
here."   
  
"Saying that it's Seto isn't good enough. _If_ he is the culprit, I need proof."   
  
"You fuckin' have proof!" The blonde stood up angrily, temper flaring uncontrollably   
at the mention of the Priest's name. "He's fuckin' jealous of you, and it shows   
through everything he fuckin' does!"   
  
Yami glared disapprovingly at the other. Slowly, he slid the hood over his head,   
making sure that he covered his face entirely under the thick cloth. "I'll be back by   
sundown." And with that, the Pharaoh turned away, escaping through the gateway   
Jounochi was assigned to guard into the vast clusters of shelters below.   
  
***********************************   
  
The only other time Yami had actually been outside the Palace was back when his   
father was alive. They had ridden across the city on horses, escorted by huge flanks of   
personal guards. Which would explain why the Pharaoh felt completely out of place.   
The youth grit his teeth in determination. He could handle it. Surely Seto had done the   
same thing, for how else could the other have gained so much knowledge of and   
power in the outside world? Anything the High Priest could do, the Pharaoh could do   
better.   
  
"Please, would you like to buy these?" A grubby-looking man swathed in reeking   
stained clothing stuck his arms out, hands cupping a foul-looking herb.   
  
Yami recoiled in absolute disgust, distancing himself from the stranger though his   
eyes could not tear themselves off the hollow, skin-and-bones face of the beggar until   
he turned a corner. From there, he continued to walk, trotting a bit faster lest more   
beggars swarm upon him with their filthy bodies.   
  
The Pharaoh continued to walk for a while, weaving through various streets and   
sights. At times he brushed the crowds closely enough to overhear conversations   
before continuing on in discretion. Most of the peasants were content, accepting their   
harsh life as a gift and grateful to be blessed by the light of Ra. Yami found this   
world- where everyone was treated equally, quarrelling and fighting one moment and   
embracing each other the next- a strange world of puzzles and questions. How could   
they live in such a simple world so dutifully bound to their meagre tasks? It was as if   
they cast a blind eye to those of the higher class, avoiding them in hopes of retaining   
their simplicity.   
  
Which, Yami thought, could be a good reason why they were peasants and not nobles.   
Having concluded that much, the pharaoh headed on down the numerous streets   
crowded with bustling people that were always in a rush on some unknown task. He   
seemed the only person trotting slowly, a drop of calm observation in the tide of noise   
and hastiness.   
  
It was late noon when the Pharaoh actually felt tired, and he finally resigned to   
walking into a tavern, sitting heavily on one of the hard wooden benches inside. He   
tried to look as inconspicuous as possible, ordering whatever the other commoners   
were drinking in a quiet and subdued voice most unlike his regal self. Yami   
unconsciously smiled to himself as one of the serving-girls brought him a clay cup of   
strange, foamy substance. Jounochi would definitely have a fit if the blonde knew   
where he was right now!   
  
At that moment, the doors to the tavern suddenly swung wide open, and a group of   
burly commoners walked inside, all ordering a regular before occupying the limited   
amount of seats at the tables. The leader of this escort grabbed his cup, taking a deep   
swig of the liquid before sitting casually beside the Pharaoh.   
  
"Stuff's good eh?" the stout, balding man said, taking another swig and wiping the   
foam from his stubbly chin.   
  
Mutely, Yami nodded, not daring to offend the other. He politely lifted his mug,   
sipping at its contents before putting it down with startling alacrity. His tongue felt   
like it was on fire, every tastebud cauterized until his entire mouth was numb. It was   
easily the most bitter and vile sensation the Pharaoh had ever experienced but he   
forced it down, tears watering at his eyes.   
  
The man suddenly gave a loud cackle, heartily patting Yami's back. "That's the   
spirit!" He slapped his hand repeatedly on the Pharaoh's back as Yami began to choke   
and cough. "Take it easy there, that's what I always say!"   
  
Yami continued to cough, not noticing when his hood fell back due to the other's   
consistent slaps. He looked up through blurred eyes as he suddenly realized that the   
once loud and rowdy room had fallen to a dead silence. Face flushing under the stares,   
he fumbled for his hood as a sinking feeling pulled at his chest. Next to no one shared   
the Pharaoh's distinct hairstyle.   
  
"Well I'll be." For some unfathomable reason, the stout commoner seated next to the   
Pharaoh seemed more amused than surprised. "There's another one too!"   
  
Upon hearing that comment, several of the others relaxed, turning back to their   
drinking and breaking the barrier of silence once more.   
  
Yami didn't know whether to be grateful, relieved, or completely confused. "Another   
one?" the Pharaoh repeated, knowing that he didn't exactly sound like the smartest   
person at the moment. He mentally thanked the Gods for the sufficient cover-up.   
  
Stout-man simply nodded, drinking deeply from his cup and giving a loud belch.   
"Yeah. We got this youngun' yesterdays. Looked just like you." He then muttered   
something about the sudden outbreak of Pharaoh look-alikes before ordering his mug   
to be refilled. "'Ey, Nakti! Seen the bitch-boy around?"   
  
Nakti replied with a negative, causing the stout-man to stand up, mutter a plethora of   
curses, and proceed to excuse himself from the table, lumbering into the tavern's   
private working rooms.   
  
"He'll be back." Nakti gave the Pharaoh a sly wink, "though you should have seen the   
events yesterday with the boy – a pity you missed it."   
  
Yami blinked a few times, taking note how some of the other men seemed as hung-  
over as both stout-man and this Nakti. The Pharaoh might have been of high class but   
he was well aware of the lecherous sport of rape and prostitution among the   
commoners. He politely asked the serving girl where the privy was before rushing   
through the back hall into the public privy grounds. Without a moment's hesitation,   
he bent over a foul-smelling tray and vomited, heaving out all the foul contents from   
the liquor until his stomach was absolutely cleared of the rank drink.   
  
Exhausted, the Pharaoh pushed himself away from the putrid contents within the tray,   
wrinkling his nose in disgust before falling ungracefully backwards on his butt. He   
gave a little inward sigh before mustering enough strength and dignity to stand up,   
pulling his hood back on. After all, he might have been lucky this time but the   
Pharaoh was not one to rely on luck alone.   
  
A small whimper suddenly interrupted the Pharaoh's self-absorbed thoughts. Yami   
quickly whipped his head around, trying to locate the source. Something shuffled in   
the darkness at a corner between two trays, and Yami's curiousity managed to get the   
better of him as he kneeled down to examine it.   
  
The Pharaoh came face to face with a boy that looked to be on the verge of   
adolescence. His frail, rather short form was bedecked with generous bruises and cuts.   
A piece of rope hung around the boy's neck, coiling several times against the boy's   
thighs and between his legs. Yami hissed in anger, taking in the full extent of   
the damage. It only added insult to the injury that this poor abused boy looked exactly   
like himself. True, there were several things that could define one from the other, but   
even with the boy's hair hanging limply at straggling angles and amethyst eyes half-  
closed, there was no denying the startling similarity.   
  
A corner of the Pharaoh's mind tentatively identified the boy as the object of the   
stout-man's 'entertainment'. Yami felt his stomach tighten in rage and revulsion. This   
boy looked barely fourteen years. It sickened him to think of what they had done, and   
might do, to him. He toyed with the idea of condemning those who had abused the   
poor boy but his logic subdued his anger. He would immediately be criticized for   
lying about his 'sick leave', as any form of extracting revenge would require proof of   
his status.   
  
Which would mean that Seto would again get the upper hand.   
  
Which brought the Pharaoh to his current dilemma. True, he could bring the boy   
along with him but then what? Keep the pitiful thing as a slave? Or perhaps, it was   
better to leave such things as they were meant to be and not get involved in them.   
  
The small boy groaned slightly, cracking his violet eyes wide open. The boy noticed   
Yami's presence immediately and began scooting backwards into the corner as far as   
possible, a look of absolute fear and panic crossing the innocent features. "P-p-p-  
please d-don't hurt m-me," the boy stuttered, dried blood cracking on the parched lips.   
  
The Pharaoh made up his mind. Even gods had a heart and Amun could damn him   
forever for all that he cared. No boy- no child- with such innocence deserved to have   
their youth broken _that_ way. Even Jounochi would agree with this; the latter was   
always expressing his hatred of abusing even pleasure-slaves.   
  
Which was exactly what this boy was fated to be.   
  
"Here." Yami extended a hand, pulling his hood back just enough to encourage the   
frightened boy with a reassuring smile. The boy refused to budge and the Pharaoh   
sighed inwardly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."   
  
The small boy shuddered, tears suddenly trickling down his uncannily large eyes.   
They pooled along the rims, making them glisten in the murky shadows. "Th-they…"   
he began to stutter, voice dying altogether to be replaced with hoarse whispers.   
  
Yami cursed slightly under his breath. The boy was probably still in a state of   
shock and had to be attended to quickly. Another part of the Pharaoh wondered why   
he even cared. Why should he care for this single slave boy when there were so many   
others of higher rank that sought justice and rights?   
  
"D-don't leave me."   
  
The boy looked directly into the Pharaoh's eyes, violet clashing with scarlet red. They   
were complete opposites of each other: Pharaoh and slave; experienced and naïve;   
hardened and innocent; pampered and tormented. But there was something in the   
boy's eyes, a spark that reminded Yami of the days of his childhood. Their lives   
might have been different, but their souls, like their appearance, were the same.   
  
Yami gently took one of the boy's hands, hoisting his fragile body from the ground   
and wrapping him around the folds of his cloak. Then, the pair slunk away quietly,   
never to be seen at the tavern again.   
  
**************************************   
  
Jounochi closed the gate with a loud sigh of relief. He quickly turned to the Pharaoh,   
arms crossed angrily. "You could have at least told me where you were going! I   
mean, you could have gotten into big trouble for-"   
  
"-I love you too." Yami gave an absent-minded smile, pushing past the High Guard,   
leaving the other to open and close his mouth several times before throwing his hands   
in the air in frustration. The blonde then noticed the extra pair of feet sticking out   
from within the Pharaoh's cloak.   
  
"It looks like you have a little stowaway," Jounochi pointed to the feet 'hidden' from   
view. Upon seeing Yami's puzzled look, he rolled his eyes. "I'm not _that_ stupid."   
  
The Pharaoh opened his mouth to respond but suddenly snapped it shut. He looked   
guiltily around the palace grounds before turning back towards the High Guard. "Fine,   
just promise not to tell anyone else."   
  
The blonde arched a single golden eyebrow. "Tell them what?"   
  
Yami undid his cloak clasp, allowing the folds of fabric to open just enough to reveal   
a pair of large amethyst eyes peering from underneath. The hiding figure squirmed   
unpleasantly, shuffling closer to the Pharaoh's chest, frail fingers grabbing a handful   
of fabric in attempt to close the gap once more.   
  
Jounochi simply pried the trembling fingers apart, bending down to catch a clear   
glimpse of the stowaway underneath the Pharaoh's cloak. His amused brown eyes   
traced the figure's features, quivering delicately even in the darkness. "Damn, Yami.   
Isn't that a bit too young for you?" He gave a small whistle of appreciation. "You've   
definitely got good tastes though."   
  
Upon hearing his former lover's words, Yami turned a deep shade of red and hit the   
hapless blonde on the head. "It's not like that! I-I just found him." The Pharaoh   
blinked, as if hearing his own words for the first time. "Great. What exactly am I   
supposed to do with him?"   
  
The small boy shuddered uncontrollably, pushing his small frame tighter against the   
Pharaoh's body as if Yami were his only lifeline. "Don't leave me." Tears   
began pooling in his large eyes once more. "Th-they'll g-get me. And-"   
  
The Pharaoh gave a small sigh. "It's okay, little one. I'll take care of you."   
  
"Yeah", Jounochi muttered darkly, "Until someone finds out. Namely a brown-haired   
someone."   
  
Yami shot the blonde a wilting glare, wrapping the cloak together once more before   
leaving for his chambers.   
  
**************************************************   
  
"Pharaoh." A pretty hand-maiden entered the room, bowing reverently while keeping   
her eyes on the ground. It was expected of the lower class to avert their eyes from   
the Pharaoh if he did not allow them the privilege to behold his brilliance. Those that   
disobeyed were sentenced to immediate death. "Your food and wash basin are   
ready."   
  
Yami nodded. Realizing that the serving lady was still looking at the floor, he voiced   
his opinion. "Thank you. You may leave." The girl left with such alarming speed that   
the Pharaoh blinked a few times, and wondered if he had said something wrong. Then   
again, he almost never dined in his personal chambers.   
  
"You can come out now." The Pharaoh glanced to the corner of his luxurious   
chamber, beckoning a small figure scrunched within the shadows. There was a   
muffled shuffling sound before the boy neared Yami. Like the hand-maiden, the boy's   
eyes were also fixated on the floor, head bowed low and back bent almost double like   
an old crone. "What are you doing?" Yami seemed more puzzled than anything else.   
  
"I-I can't look at you. You're…" The boy's awed voice died to a faint whimper.   
  
Yami snorted in amusement. "I'm what? The Pharaoh? You looked at me before,   
didn't you?"   
  
The small figure bit his already-swollen lip. "Yes, but I d-didn't know back then."   
  
Years of enforcing the image of the Pharaoh as a God and the commoners had been   
reduced to _this_. Yami gave yet another one of his many mental sighs. "So? You   
know now."   
  
"Yes, but-"   
  
Without warning, Yami extended an arm, fingers grasping the boy by the cheeks and   
forcing the child's chin to tilt upwards until his face was level with the Pharaoh's.   
Though the two were completely face-to-face, the smaller figure flicked his eyes to   
one side, vainly trying to avoid looking at the other.   
  
In response, Yami snapped his fingers, causing the boy to reflexively trace the sound   
until his curious eyes locked onto the Pharaoh's. Yami could feel the boy squirm   
uncomfortably under the piercing gaze. The taller figure's crimson eyes prevented the   
child from looking away.   
  
"There," Yami's spoke in quiet reassurance. "You have looked straight into the   
_Pharaoh's_ eyes." He then began to chuckle. "I have yet to see Ra come down and   
condemn you."   
  
It only took that single sentence to break the ice. Mere seconds later and the boy had   
his buried in the Pharaoh's chest, crying brokenly in silent sobs. His thin shoulder   
blades quivered, jutting unnaturally from his scarred back.   
  
Yami stood there, unsure of what to do. He could feel the warm tears trickling down   
his bare chest, and briefly wondered if the boy even noticed the slightly awkward   
situation. The Pharaoh quickly solved the problem by taking a seat on his bed and   
shifting the child's head to his lap.   
  
"It's okay." Yami placed his hand on top of the boy's head, hesitantly stroking the   
soft black hair so like his own. He continued to mutter reassuring words, feeling much   
like a mother crooning at her baby. "I'll be here." A voice in his mind muttered that   
Jounochi had never acted like this. Then again, Jounochi had lived a luxurious life   
where he had been the aggressor, not vice versa.   
  
At last, the small boy's tearful sobs turned onto quiet breaths and his eyes closed in   
dreamless sleep. Yami waited for a few moments before awkwardly shifting the boy   
off his lap and onto the mattress, making sure that the small figure didn't fall off in   
the process. The Pharaoh then stood up.  
  
The boy looked so serene on the lavish bed, hands tucked by his cheeks and lips   
curled into a half-pout. Tendrils of golden-yellow hair curled around his face like a   
crown of pure gold. Yami spent a few seconds admiring the boy's angelic body. He   
quietly grabbed the nearby wash-basin, soaking the towel in the lukewarm water   
before gently dabbing at the boy's numerous cuts. Though his hands methodically   
scrubbed the blood and dirt-stains, the Pharaoh's face shifted between disgust and   
absolute hatred with each tended blemish.   
  
Having completed the task, Yami gently pulled the silk covers over the boy's body.   
The child looked like a miniature god dressed in pure white, blankets around him   
rippled like wings. For a single moment, the Pharaoh was tempted to brush his face   
against the boy's gentle ruby lips and taste the sweet breaths of innocence. He quickly   
shook his head to clear his mind from such thoughts.   
  
The boy needed a name. True, Yami could continue calling him 'little one', but it   
seemed inappropriate and unbefitting of such an angelic figure. The Pharaoh gently   
stroked the boy's face, absentmindedly tracing his fingers down the small figure's   
chest. "Yuugi. You shall be called Yuugi."   
  
Unfortunately, sick or not sick, there were still matters Yami had to tend to as   
Pharaoh. They were his duties, his condemnation, his punishment for the crime of   
inheriting noble blood. The Pharaoh reluctantly took one last look at the boy Yuugi   
before slipping out the door, locking it carefully shut. He then strode contently down   
the hallway, humming an abstract song to himself.   
  
If anyone noticed the wet stain centered around the Pharaoh's thighs, they were wise   
enough not to comment. [1]   
  
**********************************   
  
End notes:   
  
[1] The 'wet stain' is most definitely Yuugi's tears when he was crying on Yami's   
lap, but I thought it would be funny to include this, because the stain _could_ be   
mistaken for something else. XD   
  
Anyway, the sole reason I wrote this fic was because of the ending (which you will see in part 2). In fact, I kinda   
wrote the ending before the beginning ^^;;;  
  
Special thanks goes out to Myst-Lady, Melinda, and NC-san, for inspiring me with   
their own e-mailed fics and muse-like support ^-^.   
  
Have no fear, Sailor Comet-chan! I'm working on your requested (Zoo) fic as I speak ^_~ 


	2. Checkmate

Author's notes:   
  
Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Yu-gi-oh? Common sense, people; common sense…  
  
WARNING: Insane fluffiness, mild yaoi, abuse, and angst.   
  
Wah @.@ Domo arigatou for your comments everyone! I wanted to include a little commentary part,   
but then got too preoccupied . Bad Zoo!  
  
*****************************************   
  
"…Nothing beside remains. Round the decay  
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare  
The lone and level sands stretch far away."   
  
- "Ozymandias", Percy Bysshe Shelley   
  
***********************************   
  
Part 2 - Checkmate   
  
  
Pharaoh Yami was exhausted. As if complaining, snivelling, politically marauding   
delegates weren't enough, the lecturing counsellors shouting beside him had more   
than drained his scant supply of tolerance. In short, the Pharaoh was stretched to a   
thin wire. His head hung in heavy exhaustion as he half-walked, half-stumbled down   
the hallway towards his master bedroom.   
  
Slamming the bedroom door and abandoning dignity altogether, Yami crawled   
towards his bed. All he could imagine were the soft sheets promising him the taste of   
sleep to sate his weary form.   
  
He was startled to see someone already on his bed.   
  
Yami almost screamed in outrage before he remembered who it was. The Pharaoh   
sighed, looking at the still-sleeping angel curled on his bed and rubbed his forehead.   
Right. He had this deliciously beautiful boy sprawled right on the mattress, and he   
didn't even have the guts to touch the child, lest remove Yuugi from his place.   
  
Had he been in a less cynical mood, Yami might have laughed at the situation. He, the   
_Pharaoh_, couldn't touch a mere slave boy!   
  
With a small shake of his head, Yami pushed himself to his feet, looking around for   
spare blankets and mattresses. He sloppily spread the pristine sheets onto the ground,   
folding them layer upon layer in a trance-like state of fatigue. Satisfied with the make-  
shift bed, the Pharaoh gently took a pillow from beside Yuugi's head.   
  
Yami could have sworn that a smug smile had flitted across the angelic face.   
  
************************************************   
  
There was an annoying damnable rustling sound. That and an incredible stiffness   
along his entire back.   
  
Yami snapped open his eyes and looked around in confusion. Had the ceiling always   
been that high?   
  
To compound to his sleepy confusion, a small head peered shyly from above the   
Pharaoh. The boy's eyes had a look of absolute awe and fear. "I-I'm s-s-sorry," he   
began, stuttering uncontrollably while pointing towards the Pharaoh's bed. The   
blankets had been neatly spread so that they appeared untouched.   
  
Yami forced down a retort and summoned all his willpower to draw himself painfully   
up from the cocoon of blankets. "It's okay," he groaned, rubbing his back. Seeing   
Yuugi's absolutely stricken face, the Pharaoh mentally cursed. "No! I mean, I enjoyed   
sleeping like this. I –uh- find it an interesting experience." Well, it was half-true: he   
and Jounochi sharing a bed often yielded disastrous results. Thinking of the   
relationship brought a pang of loneliness to Yami's heart. Yet, he couldn't regret it –   
he was bound by duty to his position.   
  
Yami was therefore quite startled when Yuugi dashed behind him and started   
massaging his back. The sensation was all too pleasurable and the Pharaoh closed his   
eyes several times in rapture as the boy ran his small fingers nimbly down Yami's   
skin. He let himself relax his rigid self-control until the fingers stopped.   
  
"I-is that better?" Yuugi stuttered. He winced at the Pharaoh's surprised look. "M-my   
former master t-taught me how. He s-said it was good for…" The boy trailed off again   
as bright violet eyes clouded in with memories.   
  
He'd be damned if the slave boy wasn't purposely provoking him. But Yuugi's eyes   
were all too innocent and Yami felt himself unable to resist the child's gentle features.   
"Maybe," the Pharaoh smirked, deciding to take advantage of the situation. Might as   
well, since no one was here and no one yet knew of his little secret. "But I still have a   
sore spot near my shoulder."   
  
Immediately, the delicate fingers began kneading, moving with brilliant dexterity   
along Yami's shoulder and causing the Pharaoh to shudder involuntarily. "I-is that the   
spot?" the boy whispered shyly, fingers never pausing.   
  
Yami purred in smug contentment. _This_ Jounochi could definitely not do.   
"Definitely," he replied archly, "just perfect."   
  
********************************  
  
  
Jounochi grabbed Yami's arm as the Pharaoh turned to leave the audience chamber.   
"Wait, Yami. I want to talk to you."   
  
The Pharaoh shook his head impatiently. "Not right now, Jounochi. I need to get back   
to my quarters."   
  
The blonde's lips curled in resentment. "Oh right. I see. You want _him_ over me."   
  
"It's not like that!" Yami crossed his arms in exasperation. "I-I like you a lot Jounochi   
but you've got your rank and a promising future. Yuugi has nothing to look forward   
to."  
  
Jounochi gave the Pharaoh a flat look. "You could easily give the boy a position. You   
know, find him a respectable post and leave him alone."   
  
The Pharaoh paused to reflect on the guard's words. Why was he so fixated on   
Yuugi? What made the smaller boy so attractive, so alluring, that it was increasingly   
difficult for him to hide his infatuation?   
  
"I-I don't know," Yami finally confessed. "I just wanted something to be there;   
something comforting. Yuugi seemed the perfect solution."   
  
"I could have been too!"   
  
The Pharaoh looked up at the blonde's sudden outburst. For the first time since their   
break-up, he caught a glimpse of the true Jounochi hiding behind the stubborn,   
temperamental shield. The hardened eyes glistened with pain and a troubled grey hue   
swirled in the middle of the soft ochre brown. The moment of clarity allowed Yami to   
catch a glimpse of Jounochi's spirit, an untameable stallion reared in the fieriest   
tempests.   
  
Slowly, the Pharaoh leaned towards his High Guard, letting his smaller frame recline   
against the blonde's chest. Yami brushed his lips gently against Jounochi's mouth,   
lingering for a bittersweet moment before softly breaking away.   
  
"I know." Yami's crimson eyes burned into the other's chocolate-brown ones. He   
watched the High Guard tremble and shake uncontrollably, face shocked and   
pleading, pained anger subdued. "Some things are just not meant to be."   
  
The Pharaoh quickly turned away, disappearing before Jounochi could react.   
  
Neither of them noticed the pair of glistening sapphire eyes watching from the   
shadows.   
  
*******************************************   
  
"Something wrong, little Yuugi?"   
  
The boy jerked his spiky head at the Pharaoh's statement. "Not really." He bit his lip.   
  
Yami raised a questioning eyebrow.   
  
"I just don't understand why you're treating me so nicely," the boy finally confessed.   
"I'm just a slave, a _nothing_. Everybody else h-hates me."   
  
"Yuugi." The Pharaoh cupped his hand around the smaller boy's jaw-line. "This   
world is sometimes like that. It's not a fair or equal world, and we are often   
misunderstood. That is what makes us human."   
  
The boy felt himself reflexively leaning against the Pharaoh's arm. "But why are you   
different? I-is it because you're the Pharaoh?" The last word was whispered in awe.   
After all, weren't Pharaohs considered gods descended into from the heavens?   
  
It was to Yuugi's surprise that Yami began to chuckle. It was quiet at first but   
eventually grew into full-fledged laughter. Gasping for air, Yami collapsed backwards   
onto his bed, tears rolling down his face in mirth.   
  
A little frown crossing Yuugi's gentle features. He hadn't meant to say something   
funny.   
  
The Pharaoh hastily wiped his eyes before sitting back up beside Yuugi, noticing the   
small boy's sullen pout. Had he not been at the receiving end, Yami would have been   
incredulous at the amount of guilt caused by that singular look.   
  
"Aibou [2]." The Pharaoh wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's form. "I didn't   
mean to offend you." He closed his eyes, thinking. "It's just that I don't feel like a god   
at all. I'm the same as you but born into a position I can't escape from." Yami gave a   
wry smile at his analogy.   
  
Still Yuugi said nothing.   
  
"I'm really sorry." The Pharaoh was unsure what to do now. "I'd like to make up for   
my mistake."   
  
That seemed to have caught the boy's interest. Yuugi's pout immediately changed   
into a brilliant, eager smile. "Do you want another massage?" It was an innocent   
comment, stirred by pleasant memories.   
  
Yami decided that the gods did indeed love him. This boy was just too damn good to   
be true.   
  
*******************************************   
  
The High Priest was not an idiot. He had his resources, and he knew there was   
something going on with Yami. The Pharaoh could simply not be _that_ happy after   
breaking up with Jounochi.   
  
With the Pharaoh busy attending to matters of his office, Seto had no problem gaining   
access to Yami's private quarters. He experimented with the door's flimsy lock before   
pushing it roughly open.   
  
The Pharaoh's chambers looked a bit messier than usual. There were some blankets   
piled in a corner off to one side, which immediately aroused the High Priest's   
suspicions. His shock nearly caused him to walk into a wall when he spotted a small   
figure standing by the bedroom window, absently gazing into the azure skies.   
  
There was no mistaking the boy, even with his face turned away from him. The High   
Priest stalked towards the boy, a horrendous suspicion forming inside his mind.   
  
"Where did you come from?" Seto wrenched the boy's arm viciously. He twisted the   
arm backwards, cold sapphire eyes waiting for a response.   
  
Yuugi gave a pained cry, turning away from the window to struggle desperately   
through tear-blurred eyes. He whimpered, trying to block the pain out but the High   
Priest only twisted harder. Yuugi's entire arm felt like it was on fire, every nerve   
writhing in protest.  
  
And yet, the boy said nothing.   
  
Seto growled in frustration, releasing the arm with an angry toss. There was more than   
one way to get this child to speak. Everyone had a weakness: it was just a matter of   
time before he figured how to exploit it perfectly.   
  
"The Pharaoh's bitch." A sneer worked on the High Priest's lips as he bent down to   
examine the boy more closely. True, this Yuugi was scarcely the definition of   
handsome but the boy's angelic innocence intrigued Seto. "I bet you enjoy getting   
laid."   
  
Yuugi recoiled slightly from the High Priest's words, though he did not understand   
them completely. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."   
  
Suddenly, the High Priest pressed his body against the boy's, bending down to force   
his lips into Yuugi's mouth. Seto's stronger arms prevented the slave from struggling   
and the brown-haired priest relished every moment in which he savoured those   
desperate puerile lips. At last, the High Priest parted, licking his mouth to catch the   
aftertaste.   
  
"So, this is why the Pharaoh kept you. A little delicious morsel of entertainment,"   
Seto chuckled, mentally sizing Yuugi like a hawk judging its prey. The High Priest   
grabbed a handful of the boy's hair, forcing Yuugi to tilt his head against Seto's chest.   
One hand still holding the clump of hair, the brown-haired priest began working at   
Yuugi's loincloth, loosening the golden fastening and letting the material slide to the   
ground.   
  
"Please! Don't!" Finally snapping out of shock, Yuugi began to thrash desperately   
once again, flailing arms and feet in an attempt to move away. Visions of physical   
abuse and violation flashed in the boy's mind. Yuugi could see the leering faces of his   
first assaulters, pummelling him, touching him with rapt ferocity until they had   
satiated their lustful souls with his innocence. Yuugi was desperate now as Seto's   
fingers started to slide along his back, down his side, and by his legs. "Stop it!"   
  
The last word came out in a desperate shriek. Yuugi shook his head violently,   
ignoring the lances of pain from his hair, tears spilling like raindrops around him. "S-  
stop it!"   
  
So, this was the boy's weak spot. Seto smirked. A pity he was enjoying this too, but   
matters of business always came before personal affairs. "I need to know something"   
the Priest whispered into Yuugi's ear. "And if you keep me from it..."   
  
Yuugi trembled violently as one of the High Priest's hands snaked between his thighs.   
He gave a choked sob, all pride and honour abandoned. "The Pharaoh found me! I   
escaped with him here!" The boy's confession was short and desperate.   
  
"So." Seto made certain to manipulate Yuugi's answers to his liking. "You belong not   
to Yami but to someone else."   
  
Another touch and the boy broke down again. "Yes! I don't belong to the Pharaoh."   
  
The High Priest smiled viciously. "You belong to me, because I bought you."   
  
Yuugi's fear had reached its climax. The boy sobbed uncontrollably, quivering and   
squirming in desperate fear. "Y-yes." He cringed as the High Priest bent closer. "Yes!   
I b-belong to you!" The last word came out in a frantic cry fuelled by agony and   
panic.   
  
Priest Seto was very much satisfied. He let go of the boy, letting Yuugi fall into a   
cowering heap onto the ground. Things had unexpectedly turned in his favour. The   
Priest sneered, kicking the pitiful, still-weeping boy curled the ground. "It's ironic   
that you, a mere slave, is the key to it all," Seto leered, knowing that the boy was   
probably not listening. "You shall be the one to undo Yami's power and put that   
arrogant Pharaoh where he belongs."   
  
Yuugi chose that moment to whimper. Seto stared disdainfully at the boy, eyes taking   
in the slave's puffy face and watery violet eyes. Oddly enough, they succeeded in   
only making Yuugi more angelic.   
  
Matters of business before personal affairs. But after the matters were taken care of   
though, there would be nothing to interfere with personal affairs then, would there?   
  
**********************************************   
  
The palace silence was broken by the roar of a single voice.   
  
"Where is he?"   
  
Yami stormed down the hallways, making both servants and noblemen scatter   
fearfully in his wake. His head turned left and right in a desperate search for the   
object of his desire. Just this morning, the Pharaoh had told Yuugi to stay hidden   
within his chambers, yet there was no sign of the small boy anywhere when the   
Pharaoh returned this evening. Yami's room had been disturbed; the lock torn apart,   
furniture and pillows littered everywhere.   
  
_Someone_ had purposely stolen into his room and taken Yuugi. And, there was only   
one other person who knew about the boy's presence.   
  
Yami slammed open the door to Jounochi's room in a frenzy of anger. The Pharaoh   
scanned the room quickly before catching the figure of the blonde sprawled   
contentedly asleep on the bed.   
  
Immediately, Yami stormed towards the bed, rudely tossing the blankets off   
Jounochi's sleeping form. "Jounochi, get up!" The Pharaoh's tense voice betrayed his   
anxiety and anger.   
  
The blonde made no response and continued to snore.   
  
Yami grabbed Jounochi's shoulders, shaking them furiously. He continued to throttle   
the hapless blonde until Jounochi's eyes finally snapped awake with a startled snort.   
  
"Nnn…" Jounochi blearily glanced at Yami before his mind started up again.   
"Yami?!"   
  
The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes in response. He pulled Jounochi's face closer to glare   
intensely at the other's confused hazel eyes. "What did you do with Yuugi?"   
  
"Yuugi?" Jounochi echoed, making him sound all the more clueless. After a moment   
to collect his wits, it finally sank in. "You mean, Yuugi isn't with you?"   
  
Yami dropped Jounochi from his nerveless hands. The boy wasn't with the blonde   
either. An ominous feeling of dread began to swell within his heart. No one else was   
supposed to know about Yuugi.   
  
"You _lost_ him?" Jounochi emphasized the word incredulously. "Hell, I thought I   
was doing you a favour by letting you go, but how could you just lose-"   
  
"I didn't!" Yami snapped. He softened at the blonde's hurt eyes. "I'm sorry. I lost my   
temper. It's just that, he couldn't have just escaped, not when…" The Pharaoh's voice   
trailed off, eyebrows furrowed in frustration.   
  
"Yami?" Jounochi phrased his words slowly. "You said once that you wouldn't be   
surprised even if 'your personal chambers suddenly developed ears and betrayed you',   
remember?"   
  
It clicked. It was so simple, so clear, so obvious that Yami was dumbfounded by its   
sheer simplicity.   
Why else would the High Priest have looked so smug over the past few days? Why   
were the Pharaoh's subjects becoming more and more restless?   
  
"Seto!" Yami hissed, fists clenched in absolute rage. Without another word, the   
Pharaoh stormed out the door, racing across the Palace in a blur of anger.   
  
The Priest had finally made his first move.   
  
*********************************************   
  
  
"Pharaoh."   
  
Yami was stopped in his warpath by one of his advisors. This particular   
advisor had been closer to the former Pharaoh and had often questioned Yami's   
competence. "What is it, Kamneth?"   
  
"Priest Seto is waiting for you in the audience hall." There was something almost   
malicious in the advisor's eyes but the emotion was quickly suppressed. "He has   
something important to address." The audience hall was where the Pharaoh usually   
addressed the rights of commoners and workers outside the palace. It consisted of an   
elevated chamber connected to the vast outside courtyard.   
  
The Pharaoh burst into the audience hall through a private hallway. He blinked,   
stunned by the sea of faces below him. In front of the massive crowd was none other   
than the High Priest. Yami was momentarily rendered speechless by the sheer amount   
of people packed into the large courtyard below. The cold blue eyes of the priest   
prompted his tongue to move. "High Priest, what do you seek to address me about?"   
The Pharaoh's words flowed in thick rivulets of anger.   
  
Jounochi had entered the chamber, siding behind Yami with clenched fists, never   
taking his furious hazel eyes off Seto's form.   
  
The High Priest seemed to enjoy Yami's fury. "Pharaoh," he said in   
acknowledgement, his tone equally thick with pretentiousness. "I have come to   
inform you about a slave that I had purchased a while ago."  
  
The Pharaoh's heart began to palpitate faster but he ignored his growing   
apprehension. In a crowd of so many, all that mattered now was appearance. "I have   
no interest in your slaves, High Priest."   
  
Seto smirked, expression unseen by those behind him. "In usual circumstances, no,   
but this particular slave has committed several heinous crimes." The High Priest   
nodded to two guards beside him and they quickly drew out a chained and hackled   
slave.   
  
A slave bearing brilliant scarlet, ebony, and golden hair; his bruised face both   
piteous and cherubic.   
  
Somehow, Yami managed to get his mouth to continue talking. "Then speak of   
them."   
  
Seto permitted himself a grin at the absolute despair written as clear as the mid-day   
sun on the Pharaoh's face. He would enjoy every moment of this. "I bought this slave   
only a while ago, but it somehow escaped my presence. I was surprised to find this   
traitor hiding within the Palace, escaping everyone else's notice as well."   
  
Yami knew that Seto was mocking him. The High Priest could not directly accuse the   
Pharaoh without dire consequences, but he could state the facts inadvertently and just   
as painfully.   
  
"The slave escaped from me and belongs to me." Seto suddenly gestured to the angry   
crowd below him. "I now ask for your permission to make a public demonstration of   
how we punish such miscreants."  
  
Yami could not find the voice to speak. All he saw, past the livid, raging commoners   
and Seto's leering face, were a pair of brilliant amethyst eyes. They sparkled and   
dribbled with silent tears but never lost their trusting, hopeful plea.   
  
"Yami." Jounochi growled, bristling as he watched the High Priest's guards grab   
Yuugi and drag him out into the courtyard. The commoners quickly edged away from   
the guards, creating a large space in the center of the courtyard. Several of the guards   
quickly propped up a long wooden pole, roughly shoving the boy against it before   
restraining him to it with coils of thick, stringy rope.   
  
"Stop!" The Pharaoh's voice rang clearly over the noisy crowd. He stood there, a   
solitary form against the tide of reckless anger, eyes glistening with power and rage.   
He couldn't let Seto get away with this! He had promised to protect Yuugi. And yet,   
when Yami opened his mouth, he found himself at a loss of words.   
  
Seto continued smirking. "Surely, oh great and mighty Pharaoh, you cannot find a   
common slave of such high value."   
  
"He is just a child, uneducated in the ways of rank and class," Yami finally countered,   
trying to keep his trembling rage stable. "The slave may be innocent, High Priest."   
  
"If the boy is truly innocent then his heart will be spared by Amun and he will live a   
peaceful life in the afterlife."   
  
Yami opened his mouth to retort, but Seto beat him to it.   
  
"After all, if you can allow lenience with a slave, why are not the commoners be   
treated in the same way? If they commit a crime, none of the commoners should   
deserve punishment, since a mere slave is exempt of it."   
A wave of cries roared in response to the Priest's words, soaking up his statements   
like blades of grass drinking off the sun.   
  
This just wasn't fair!   
  
Yet, to the thousands of faces surrounding him, screaming and venting in rage and   
triumph, it was perfectly fair. There was no denying such truth and alarming   
numbers.   
  
Yuugi was a slave. Not his slave, but a _disobedient_ slave, sentenced to death for a   
horrendous crime.   
  
The boy stood in the center of the courtyard, thin, bruised body tied to a single pole.   
His scraggly hair billowed slightly in the wind as he continued to look to Yami with   
his trusting violet eyes. The Guards surrounding the small boy had already begun drawing  
their arrows.  
  
Yami shifted his head away to look at Jounochi. He could sense the anger and   
indignation in the blonde's clearly expressed features and for a single impulsive   
moment, the Pharaoh wanted nothing more than to confess, run away with Yuugi and   
leave this damned kingdom forever.   
  
"Pharaoh, we are awaiting your permission." Seto's penetrating voice broke Yami's   
momentary daydream.   
  
The Pharaoh of the Upper and Lower Lands of Egypt glanced at Seto's triumphant   
expression. The pang of absolute fury and frustration had become unbearable now   
but he couldn't let it show, especially to his people; the sea of angry faces filled his   
vision.   
  
"So be it."   
  
At first, Yami thought that someone else had spoken those words. He wanted to   
scream, to jump in front of the arrows and protect the pitiful little pile of bones and   
skin-   
  
-and then turned his head away.   
  
There was a piteous cry as the arrows struck home, embedding with sickening thuds   
into its meagre target. That was all it was. A meagre target comprised of bones and   
skin.   
  
Those dead, pained eyes, a lacklustre violet against the radiant blue sky, told   
otherwise.   
  
  
******************************************   
  
End notes:   
  
[2] "Aibou" is a common term that Yami uses to address Yuugi, especially in Battle   
City. It basically means 'partner'.   
  
PH-san asked me why I would make the crowd at the end so angry, but think back to   
the beginning, peoples. Remember the 'deal' Seto had? ^_^;;;  
  
…Death is overrated.   
  
There. That's all the comfort I can give you. Now leave me alone *whimpers* 


	3. Epilogue and End Notes

Author's notes:  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.   
  
This page basically serves as a commentary page. All author's   
comments/replies/ramblings are included at the end.   
  
Zoo's cover for "Paradise Kingdom": www.geocities.com/chibizoo/yuugi_watercolour.jpg  
  
********************************  
  
Epilogue:  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
He stood, poised in nothingness, watching everything around him fall into pieces. He   
watched the Pharaoh dissolve into Darkness. He watched the union of the seven   
Millennium Items. He watched several million, billion events passing by until he   
finally reached the Light.   
  
They say that history repeats itself.  
  
As does death and rebirth.   
  
Five-thousand years later, in the middle of a crowded bustling city, a boy sat in his   
room. A small boy with unnatural jagged red, black, and yellow hair. His fingers   
clumsily fumbled with two golden puzzle pieces. The shards connected with a soft   
click.   
  
Quietly he reached for the next piece. It would be soon.   
  
  
  
~OWARI~  
  
  
*********************************************  
  
Closing statements:  
  
I originally hadn't planned this part, but then I felt guilty. Thus the little impromptu   
epilogue.   
  
For those of you who write fanfics of your own, almost all of the morals and values of your   
characters come from your own personality, whether the obvious characteristics, or a trait you   
admire. I find YGO quite a unique anime to write about because of the stark contrast used to   
represent Light (love, hope, faith) and Darkness (despair, betrayal,hatred).  
  
  
  
Q and A:  
  
Q: I swear, when Yami spoke 'So Be It' my mouth fell open. I don't believe   
this! Whatever happened to happy endings?!  
A: Endings with angst are also very happy. It all depends on your definition of happy.   
In my reality, I am happy, so therefore… *cough* nevermind.   
  
Q: ChibiZoo?? STOP MAKING THE DAMN CHAPTERS SAD!!!!!!!!  
If you THREATEN the author, she'll never update!!! (  
A: GAH! I am _not_ a Chibi!! *thud*   
Go ahead and threaten me. I'm pretty much used to it.   
  
Q: You killed yugi...i've never seen that happen before......i won't   
flame, but i gotta ask why  
A: Yuugi is probably my most loved character. I adore him above all the other YGO   
characters. So, why would I kill him off? That's for me to know and for you to find   
out.  
  
Q: Please make it were y/y get together in the end!  
A: They have. What have you been watching on TV?  
  
Q: Hey, can you update Nocturne?  
A: I was in the middle of this really good idea and then lost it. If you can e-mail me a   
plot idea, I will be glad to use it. Otherwise, I don't think it will continue.   
  
Q: Is he REALLY dead? Or are you going to write the next part about the future?  
A: Well, you won that contest :)  
  
Q: ...No, instead I will complain that Yuugi never got any sweet, sweet lovin'   
from Yami before it was "'fft! Ka-tunk!' Dead boy!"  
A: My moral philosophy goes somewhere along the lines of 'build them and break   
'em… unless you're too lazy'. I wanted Yami to get close enough to Yuugi to feel the   
pain but not as close as to decide against it.   
  
Q: BETTER NOT BE THE LAST CHAP OR THERE BETTER BE A SEQUL OR KILL U  
A: I noticed that you guys have a lot more typos when you're upset. Hmmm.. I   
wonder if there is a correlation there? To quote Hamlet, 'How weary, stale, flat, and   
unprofitable/ Seem to me all the uses of this world.'   
If you can find me, go ahead and kill me *smirks*.   
  
I'm sure some of you have read my other fics and have noticed the unholy amount of   
deaths I create in them (such as the case in 'Club 0013' and slightly in 'XX09'). That   
is because I view death not as a loss but as a final transition, something all slaves and   
pharaohs alike share. No, I am not suicidal nor devil-worshipping, but I am…  
  
…A ZOO!!  
  
*runs away, leaving several readers and reviewers alike stunned*  
  
Eevee muse: Zoo! Come back here! You haven't taken your pills yet! 


End file.
